


Rise of the Morning Sun

by Muse of Luna (DreamyRequiem)



Category: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Gen, Original Character-centric, cameos from tamers and frontier, characters from adventure will appear but not just yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-06-10 09:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6950860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamyRequiem/pseuds/Muse%20of%20Luna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kiku Anderson is just a Japanese-American trying to get in touch with her heritage through online video games. What part of that says 'I want to be sucked into a virtual reality world!'?</p><p>She'd really <em>love</em> to know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So it Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta`d. Also OC Centric.  
> Currently ignoring Tri.

Kiku Anderson buried her face in her hands as she heard the crashing and wailing from her younger brother and sister. Why did they always have to start that up just before she was going to start playing her game.

She gave the controller a longing look before she got up and headed out of her room to the living room. The first thing she saw were her young siblings trying to strangle each other--or well that's what it looked like to her.

Clicking her tongue, Kiku snapped her fingers until the duo looked up at her. She crossed her arms and said, "What in the world are you two doing?"

James immediately shot up, both of his thick eyebrows raised up at her question. "Nothing." Emi nodded shyly in agreement from where she was sitting on the floor, rubbing her shoulder.

Kiku scowled. "Mmhm. And what am I going to tell Mom if she came home while you two were trying to kill each other?"

"Uuuh..."

"I thought so." Kiku tch'ed before turning her back on them. "You two better not keep that up. Or I'm going to join you and show you who the really strong one here is."

The siblings made identical annoyed looks while Kiku smirked. Then all three of them froze as the front door opened. They all put their 'I'm-super-innocent-I've-done-nothing-wrong' looks on and turned to their mother.

...Who was actually their father. "What did you three do now?" He drawled.

Kiku smashed down on any feeling of surprise at the sight of her father. Yes he worked two jobs and was hardly home due to that but she still shouldn't be surprised by him showing up in their home. It was his too after all.

"I didn't do anything besides stop these two from killing each other," Kiku said as she took a step back, "I was going to be playing my game but these two distracted me."

Andrew hmmed. "Well, have you eaten dinner?" Kiku, James, and Emi all nodded as one. "Then Kiku, you can go play your game. I'll keep these two busy with their homework."

James and Emi both whined as Kiku cheered quietly. She turned and hurried away to her room. Dropping down into her chair, she gladly logged into her game--into Digimon Online.

* * *

"Miraiiii!"

A Lunamon attached itself to Kiku's avatar's--Mirari's--arm. "Mirai, Mirai!" The Lunamon repeated, it's voice distinctly masculine.

"Hey, Nox," Mirai said, "I just wanted to log in and check out the events for today--Are there any new events from the guild?"

Nox hummed as he thought. "Uummm, I didn't see anything on the board."

Translation: There might be, but they'd be secret 'find-them-yourself' quests. Mirai thanked her partner while gently prying him off. Once she had Mirai started heading back into town.

Argggh, she shouldn't have logged out in the middle of a field. At least there weren't any random digimon wandering around--which meant someone else had already swept through and taken care of the rogues.

She paused as she realized she couldn’t hear Nox's footsteps. "Nox?" Mirai turned to look. The lunamon started before rushing to her side. Mirai smiled down at him before the duo headed into the sunny town of Hexaton.


	2. Into the Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta`d

Mirai yawned.

Nox mimicked her.

Mirai stifled a grin because wow, was that adorable. Then again, Nox in general was super cute. Aaah, she wished she could tie a bow on him...it'd make him even cuter.

Nox tilted his head up at her and Mirai grinned. Sometimes the AI for these partners seemed alive. She motioned to Nox and said, "I need to go now, Nox. It's getting late."

The digimon wilted. "Oh. I'll see you later then?" Mirai gave Nox an encouraging smile and head pat before summoning up the option windows. She said goodbye and hit the log out option.

She tugged the VR headset off and blinked as her eyes adjusted to the new light source. "Ugh." Part of her didn't want to stop playing but school was something she needed to worry about after all.

Kiku yawned again before getting up to change clothes. Once she was done she flopped onto her bed with a deep sigh. She could hear her parents through the thin walls of their cheap home and Kiku curled up.

Sometimes she wished she was someplace else. That would be a dream come true--but a dream too good to ever be true.

"Stop thinking." She scolded herself. There was no way she was going to sleep if she over thought everything at this time of night.

Kiku uncurled and turned on her stomach, closing her eyes. It would be nice to get some sleep...

* * *

"When is my partner going to wake up?! It's been months!"

"I don't know, Ember. Maybe something's wrong with your partner...?"

"According to these stupid nurse programs there's nothing wrong!"

She cringed as the first voice's pitch rose. Who in the world was yelling like that in the middle of the night? It was...annoying. She opened her eyes and pushed herself up ready to scold the yeller...but stopped.

Huh?

Why was she wearing clothes--that is to say, the clothes that were clearly for day wear, not the pajamas she'd been wearing earlier. She raised a hand to her head when a masculine voice--one she recognised--spoke up. "Mirai?"

Mirai froze before jerking her head around to the speaker. Mirai...was the name she used in the game. Why was someone calling her that outside of the game? As her gaze met the speaker's, her mind grinded to a stop. What...

"Mirai?” The speaker repeated.

Did she fall asleep with her VR headset on? That...had to be it.

Nox--it couldn't be him--leapt onto the bed she was laying in. "Mirai! You are awake! You've never woken up here before..."

Her breath caught in her throat as she reached up and patted her head. No VR headset--but there was something sitting on her head. She tugged on it only to end up pulling the 'something' off her hand and around her throat. Oh. Goggles.

Didn't her avatar wear goggles?

"You...kind of look different, Mirai," Nox said worriedly.

What.

She shot up and kicked off the bed, breathless. Mirai forced her way passed a strange looking nurse and out the door, ignoring the rows upon rows of beds filled with people.

Nox was scuttling behind her as she finally stopped her rush from the bed. The lunamon mumbled that this was more like what she normally did.

Mirai vomited in a bush in response.

"M-Mirai?!" Nox rushed to her side.

She waved him off as she rubbed her mouth. What the hell. That was real. Mirai swallowed bile and forced herself off her knees into a more comfortable position.

The young woman sat in an almost awkward silence as she tried to stamp down on the panic roiling in her gut. Nox was silent--understanding that something was wrong with his partner.

After almost ten minutes of this, Nox stepped over to her side. "M...Mirai, what's wrong?"

Mirai blinked slowly at Nox, registering that he was indeed still there. "Nox, you're real?"

The digimon managed to look taken aback in a way Mirai had never seen Nox look. "Of course I'm real, Mirai! Why wouldn't I be?"

She gave a shaky nod. "Well, you know...this is a game. A game to play--not reality."

Nox seemed confused. "But this isn't a game..."

"I...that's what it seems like now. But up until now I've just been using a computer--a controller and headset to interact with all of this." She gestured to the world around her.

"Um...I don't understand?" Nox winced as Mirai snarled and then buried her face in her hands. "I-I'm sorry. I just...this is all real. Why wouldn't you think it isn't?"

Mirai hissed. How the hell was she supposed to explain something like existence to a digimon that she was fifty percent sure she was imagining?

She stood up.

Nox made a startled noise but also got up from where he'd sat next to her. "It smells," She said to the tiny digimon. With that said she turned and started down a path to a pair of trees.

Nestling down in between them, Mirai closed her eyes. Maybe she just needed to fall asleep again...maybe she'd wake up.

Ignoring Nox's questions, she let the sound of the wind lull her to sleep.

* * *

Someone was shaking her. The touch was feather-y and Mirai groaned.

"Eh, so you are alive! I don't usually see you folks sleeping in places like this...hey, brat wake up!"

"Mirai isn't a brat!"

Mirai groaned again. Why did everyone have to keep yelling?

"Well she has to wake up before one `f those Errors show up and eat `er up, doesn't she?"

Silence, blessed silence.

And then someone else was shaking her along with that feather-y touch. Mirai snarled and swiped out, annoyed. "Leav` me alone, I'm sleepin`..."

There was a sigh and the sound of a beak clicking shut and open. "...Sorry, kid."

The feather-y appendage slammed into her arm and she slipped sideways. She squawked and then gasped as her head hit the ground. Oh hell's bells, that hurt...

Rubbing her head, Mirai pushed herself up. There was a snort and she turned her attention to the one who'd pushed her.

"Why did you--" Mirai froze. A cockatrimon stood there, its feathers ruffled up. "Uh."

It snorted again. "You really aren't like any of the other tamers I've run across." Another 'um' of confusion from Mirai. "What, do I have to spell it out for you? You brats usually just talk at us not actually talk with us." The cockatrimon tch`ed.

_Okay. That's great. **For you.**_

Mirai clicked her tongue. "Right, okay. I have no idea why you literally threw me on the ground just to wake me up but you're also being incredibly rude."

The two glared at each other until Nox nervously spoke up. "U-um, Mirai? Shouldn't we go to Hexaton...? I-I'm sure your guild leader could figure out a way to fix whatever's wrong!"

Hm, so Nox at least realized that there was something wrong.

Mirai sat up and picked Nox up in her arms. Nox seemed startled by this action but the fifteen year old girl glared at the cockatrimon in front of them. "Yeah, you're right, Nox. Let's head there now."

The cockatrimon snickered at Mirai's back as the orange-and-red clad teenager stomped off. Arrrggh, why did complete strangers have to be so...so...smug?!

"Mirai?" She looked down at the lunamon clutched in her arms. "Should we really have let that cockatrimon alone? I mean...what if an Error attacks her?"

Oh, that was a she? Mirai had no idea, all the cockatrimon looked the same to her...or maybe that had something to do with the VR headset. Who knew? Not her, at any rate.

"We'll be fine. But...ah...what do you mean by Error?"

Nox blinked in confuse. "Um, you know? Those Errors we started fighting after I finally got to rookie?" He paused at her bewildered look. "The crazy digimon...?"

Mirai started. "Those're 'Errors'?"

"Uh-huh. What did you think they were?" Mirai looked away with a grimace. NPC enemies? But Nox had yet to get what she meant when she referred to things in a game setting. Which was what this was supposed to be, but...

She sighed and lightly brushed Nox's head. A strange purring noise came from the lunamon and Mirai smiled. "Nothing, Nox. Now when we get to Hexaton what do you think we should do?"

He hummed. "Uuum, check in with the guild leader? Oh! We should check the quest boards too!"

Mirai was about to reply but a loud explosion cut her off. She jerked and turned around, shocked. That was where...that cockatrimon had been... "Oh no..."

"T-that cocktrimon...!" Nox whimpered. "Did she get attacked by an Error?"

 _Crap, crap, **crap**_ \--Mirai was frozen, fear making her body seize up. Nox tugged at her arms, clearly wanting to head out towards the explosion while Mirai just wanted to--wanted to--!

"Mirai!" Nox cried before biting down on her arm. She gasped and let the lunamon go. He took the chance to run towards the explosion, as well as what sounded like the start a battle, yelling an apology to her as he did so.

N-Nox was running into battle...alone?

No. No she couldn't just let him go alone...but could she really go after him? Mirai closed her eyes and bit down on her lip. A heat rose in her chest and she realized that no, she couldn't let him go and yes she could go after him.

And she would.

Mirai stumbled over her own feet as she ran back. "Nox! Nox! No--!"

She almost tripped over Nox as she reached the edge of the battle field. A greymon roared above them and the cocktrimon sneered at it, calling out mockingly. The greymon didn't respond. Instead it ludged down with its sharp teeth and Nox cried out.

The greymon stopped, inches from the cocktrimon. Its head jerked towards them and the cocktrimon echoed its movement. Her beady eyes widened. "Brats! What in Ceresmon's name are two doing here...?!"

"Nox! Fight!" Mirai blurted, falling to the ground.

Nox jumped. "E-eh? O-oh!" The lunamon started moving, aiming for an outcropping to safely attack from. " _Tear Shoot_!" Nox cried, throwing a long range attack at the greymon before rolling underneath the rock outcropping.

The greymon just kept on moving. Mirai choked and started rolling from her spot on the ground to avoid being trampled on. In turn the greymon ran into a tree, causing it to fall over.

The crash made the ground shake even as Nox started throwing more _Tear Shoots_ , frantic at how close the greymon was to Mirai. Mirai on the other hand was trying her best to hide from the error digimon.

Mirai cried out as one of the clawed feet of the greymon hit the ground right near her face.

Oh, oh god...she was going to die here, wasn't she? She shuddered, a full body shudder, and she closed her eyes as she pressed herself as close to the boulder she'd found as possible. Nox was crying at her to move, but she...she couldn't

Not because she didn't want to but because she couldn't make herself move.

The greymon's crazed blue eyes glared down at her--wait, didn't greymon have red eyes?-- _its maw open to crush her between its teeth_ \--

" _Diamond Storm_!"

Shards of what seemed to be ice hit the greymon's side and it jerked its head around, snarling in fury. Just as it did so, the cocktrimon threw her own attack into the fray.

A growl from the greymon...and then it retreated. Gone, between the forest trees.

Mirai blinked. Wha...what? How could it suddenly be over, just like that? She was so sure she was going to...

"A rookie shouldn't be out this far." A young man suddenly appeared before her, as if from thin air. "The higher ranked Wilds are dangerous for them." He glanced to Nox.

Nox flung himself past the man and into Mirai's arms. "Oh Mirai...! I was so scared..."

Gently rubbing the lunamon's head, Mirai looked up at the man. "Thank you for saving us. All of us."

The young man snorted. "You're acting like you were really in danger." He shook his head. "I need to head back to Umbran."

Her breath caught in her throat. She was that far out...? "You're from the Guild of Friendship."

"And you're from Courage." He shot back. "I don't know why you're all the way out here when you should be sticking close to Hexaton but I don't care. Go back, now. Come on, Yoku." He gestured to the renamon, whom Mirai had just noticed.

Yoku stepped forward and wrapped its arms around the man and suddenly they were gone.

"So that's wha` the wrap ability looks like." A voice grumbled almost right next to her. Mirai squawked and the cocktrimon cackled. "Ha, scared ya huh? But I was wondering about that--Ya two really are from Hexaton, huh? I thought so."

Mirai cuddled Nox against her chest. She ignored his squeak of surprise. "How can people tell just like that?"

The cocktrimon snorted. "Ya're dressed up in oranges and reds. Everyone knows Hexaton Brat Tamers wear those colors." Huh, really? She wondered if the other guilds had color specific outfits too...

She looked down at Nox.

Nox looked right back at her.

Mirai sighed and nodded at him.

He beamed before turning his attention to the cocktrimon. "Miss cocktrimon? Where are you headed?"

"Hexaton, as it just so happ`ns. Why?"

"Why don't we all work together to get there?"

The cocktrimon narrowed her beady eyes at them before sighing. "Fin`. But don't call me miss cocktrimon--my name is Rwenda."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention last time but if you have any question please go [here](http://dreamerdarkrequiem.tumblr.com/) okay? Also there was thing I wanted to say, but I forgot...whoops?


	3. (Lack of) Courage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta`d. Minor panic attack near the end, so be careful?

  
"Woah."

Hexaton was completely different. No, that wasn't right. It still had the bright red and orange banners and the racket of people echoing in the streets. The city just felt different from the one she remembered.

Mirai didn't know why. She thought it might have something to do with the fact that she was actually there now instead of just seeing it through VR goggles. VR goggles couldn't replicate smells and touch after all.

That being said, she was exhausted. Her legs felt like jelly and she was almost sure she couldn't feel her feet at all.  She was jealous of Nox, who was resting in the pack on her back. Rwenda had pointed it out to her after Nox started collapsing.

Odd as it was, she remembered that Nox never seemed tired when they'd been traveling before. What was up with that? Was it another side effect to whatever had brought her here?

Rwenda fluttered her feathers. "Why do ya seem so surpris`d? Ya're from this city, ain't cha?"

...Was her accent getting thicker?

Mirai narrowed her eyes at Rwenda. "It's complicated and I don't know any of the details myself." So don't ask because I don't have answers. "Just know that this is...different from any other time I've been here."

"If ya say so, kid." Rwenda shrugged. The cocktrimon didn't seem too interested in what Mirai was doing but if anything that made her happy. She didn't think Rwenda should get too involved in...whatever this was.

Nox poked his head out of the bag. "Wait are we in Hexaton now?" He wriggled until he pulled himself entirely out of the bag, hitting the ground with a flop.

She shook her head at her partner. "We sort of are, but I don't know if the outskirts count as being in Hexaton proper." Nox 'oh'ed.

Mirai smiled. Nox was cute and adorable--naive, but adorable. She shook her head and started jogging. Behind her Nox squawked and rushed after her.

Once they reached the gates, Rwenda cleared her throat. Mirai turned to her, waiting for her to speak. Rwenda ruffled her feathers. "I th`nk this is where we should spl`t up. I've gotta go to the Digimon Merchant Guild."

"Something like that exists?" Mirai asked, surprised.

Rwenda snorted. "Ya Tamers don't pay attention to yer surroundings, do ya? Yeah, the DMG exists. They're th` ones that usually s`t up escorts for us from town to town."

Mirai hummed softly. Ah, so that was where those quests came from, huh? She nodded in understanding. "Okay, I got it." Though she wished that Rwenda wasn't so patronizing about it.

"Are you sure you have to go?" Nox asked sadly. The lunamon had gotten rather close to the cocktrimon over the past couple of days.

...That actually worried her. It had been a couple of days. Yes the game had a day night cycle but...she had never paid much attention to it. How long was a day here in the real world?

Yes, she was thinking about this seriously. She had to, otherwise she could do something crazy and get herself killed. And if this wasn't a dream, she couldn't afford to die.

"Yeah, I do. Sorry, kid." Rwenda patted Nox on the head and nodded to Mirai. The digimon walked through the rust orange gate and vanished into the crowds.

She'd miss the cocktrimon.

Mirai glanced down at Nox. "Are you ready to head in, partner?" Nox's eyes lit up and he nodded happily. He'd responded like that whenever she called his name or refereed to him as her partner.

It was like he was starved for proper attention and Mirai was the only one who could give it to him. She sighed and offered her arms to him. Nox leaped into them with a soft cry of a joy. Stifling a smile, she hugged him to her chest.

Time to go.

* * *

Entering the city was a different experience entirely to watching it appear on the horizon.

Every corner was bustling with some sort of activity. The first thing she noticed were Tamer run kiosks sitting between the digimon kiosks. Rwenda had mentioned the Digimon Merchant Guild--those kiosks must belong to them. Mirai wondered how they felt about the Tamer run kiosks.

The banners she had seen earlier were even brighter close up. Far ahead, the Guild of Courage's main building rose up between the other buildings. It was like a beacon and Mirai tilted her head. Yes, it was like a beacon. But it also seemed like something that wasn't supposed to be there.

A couple of tamers questioned her on what action she was using to carry Nox. After all, being able to carry your partner in your arms wasn't something you could do. Mirai made up an excuse that it was a special event action she won a few months earlier. Those tamers groaned in sadness.

Mirai could hardly blame them. Being able to carry your rookie-level partner? That sounded fun....and cute.

If only Nox would stop squirming whenever a tamer came by to talk, then it would be perfect.

She paused as a thought occurred to her. Why did their partners return to their rookie forms in cities?

"Its because we could cause problems otherwise! Some digimon are huge in their stronger forms." What like a greymon? "Yeah! Greymon aren't allowed in the main city--they're usually in the digimon-only sectors."

She started, surprised. Digimon only sectors...? That meant there were whole parts of the city she had never been to. She wondered if those were the areas of the city that the game didn't let you enter.

Humming, Mirai said, "Do you think you can point me in the direction of one of those sectors? There's something I want to see."

Nox seemed surprised. Yet he agreed and started guiding her in the direction of where the closest digimon sector was. It turned out to be the Garden District, which was only a blob of green to the average tamer.

"Beautiful..." Mirai breathed.

The Garden District was overflowing with greenery and a variety of colors. It lacked the orange and red banners of the main city while boosting vibrant flowers of every color. She blinked and looked down at Nox as he tugged on her short sleeve.

"Why here?" He asked, confusion lacing his voice.

Ah, that was the question. She ducked into a corner before an aruraumon could spot them. Frowning to herself, Mirai tried to put her feelings to words. "I...I'm worried about people spotting us. I figured we'd get less questions here than in the tamer districts."

Nox wrinkled his tiny nose. "Why would it matter if someone spotted us? We were talking to them just fine earlier, even if they smelled weird."

Smelled weird? She'd have to ask about that later.

Tapping a finger to her temple, Mirai said, "You know how people kept asking me how I was holding you? I don't want to have to come up with another excuse about why I can do stuff other people can't."

Her partner hummed in understanding as she peeked her head around the corner. Mirai needed to find a park and quick. Just standing out in the paths of the district would mean she'd get spotted by a digimon resident at any time.

She nodded to herself and asked Nox if he knew where the nearest park was. He shrugged.

Ah, very helpful.

Clicking her tongue, Mirai dashed down the paths until she spotted what looked like a park. She crossed her fingers before she slipped in, only glancing at the sign by the gates. Nox leaped out of her arms as soon as they passed the gates.

"This is Central Garden Park!" He chirped, peering into the foliage of a nearby bush. Oh, is that what the sign had said? "Where are we going to sit?"

Mirai led the two of them to a secluded corner of the park. Not only was it hard to see from the main paths through the park but it also smelled nice.

Nox seemed to disagree with that, judging by the wrinkle of his nose.

She pulled the backpack off her shoulders and tugged at the supports. They slipped and then she was carrying a messenger bag. "Interesting," Mirai said, "But not what I was looking for."

Shifting her grip on the bag, she let it drop gently onto the ground. Mirai flopped down next to it as Nox scuttled over to her side. She had to stop herself from cooing at him.

Ugh, why did he have to be so adorable?

Mirai unzipped her bag.

Inside several glass containers clanked together. She took them all out and counted. Seven of the eleven containers held green, shining liquid. The tops were shaped like spray bottle caps. They must be what she used to heal Nox's injuries.

Two other containers contained what looked like rainbow jello. Picking one up, Mirai shook it. A screen popped up and she dropped the container, startled.

(Nox caught it before it could hit the ground.)

The screen said: _**Revival Gel. To be used when partner is unconscious.**_

She let her hands drop. Okay, that's great information to have but how in the world did that screen pop up? What had she done to get it to pop up like it had?

Curious, Mirai picked up a container with blue liquid. She sat there, waiting for a screen, but nothing happened. Nox started organizing the containers.

Frowning, she shook the container in frustration. A new screen popped up an the previous one vanished.

Oh.

She had to shake the items to get the screen to come up. What a stupid way to activate the screens, she thought. Mirai glanced down at Nox, who was giggling at her scowl.

Mirai bopped his snout and put the container down. She returned to the pack and dug through it before pulling out of...beanie? What in the world?

Nox's paw went over hers and the lunamon said, "Mirai, what're you looking for?" He seemed oddly concerned. She frowned at him. What was he so serious all of a sudden? Mirai frowned.

"I'm just trying to see if there's anything we need to see in here. There might be something to explain why I ended up here," She said.

Both of Nox's paws were on her bag now, his eyes wide. Mirai narrowed her eyes and tugged at the bag. Nox's little claw like fingers dug into the fabric. She pulled back and the bag slipped through her fingers. "Opmh!"

There was a squeak from Nox. "M-Mirai?!"

Mirai stared on the sky, the cool grass tickling her through her shirt. She was silent for a minute before she started laughing, her cheeks going pink. Nox continued to wave his little paws, frantic and confused.

Eventually her peals of laughter faded away and Mirai rested her hands on her stomach. "Did I scare you, Nox?"

Nox puffed out his cheeks. "I don't get it. Why were you laughing?"

She sat up and patted his head. "I don't know. I just feel like...everything right now is ridiculous. I'm stuck in some digital game with no way out and I'm arguing with a little moon bunny over a bag." Granted it was her bag, but still.

Putting her hand down, her fingers hit something cold and smooth. What? She looked down at it. The 'something' was made of white and gold metal and had black grips. It was flat and was shaped like an octogon. That was...a lot of edges. She poked it.

Nothing.

Mirai picked it up and Nox crawled up her back to lean over her shoulder. Mirai poked and prodded until she hit a button and a screen appeared in the air in front of her. On it was information regarding Nox. His health, his stats, his level...even his species.

This is a stat screen. It was coming from the device in her hand...was this her digivice? It looked a lot like the one from the game but also different.

She turned it over to look at the back. There was a clip and with a nod, she clipped it onto her Capri, under the sash. "I guess we did find at least one thing," Mirai said, patting Nox. "I think we should pack up and leave."

Nox hummed in agreement and helped her start packing up their things. Before Mirai could zip it up Nox slipped in. She frowned at him. He beamed right back.

Mirai sighed. What a troublemaker.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the beanie sitting in the grass and jammed it on her head. She fixed the straps of her pack and pulled it back on, Nox and all. Peeking out around the shrubs and bushes, she didn't see anyone of note. Of course, for all she knew, there was a digimon hiding somewhere among all these plants.

"We should head back to the Tamer districts and find a place to sleep," Mirai said as she jogged back down the path to the gates.

The city seemed oddly silent as they walked down the path through the gates and onto the district steets. It hadn't been this quiet before.

Concerned, she looked around to try and see any one at all. The only thing she succeeded in seeing as some shutters shut on a second floor of a building.

"I don't like this Nox..." She whispered. Nox's only reply was to dig his claw-fingers into the fabric of her shirt.

Her footsteps were the only sound she could hear as she snuck through the gardens and markets to the tamer district. The closer she got, the louder her footsteps became. A distant roar started as she made it to the boandary lines.

Turning to glance behind her one more time, she stumbled as she saw Rwenda and...no way. He was just an NPC. How could he be out here? And talking to Rwenda at that?

His brown eyes met hers as he turned, clearly saying goodbye. He froze and then opened his mouth. To call out to her, perhaps? She didn't know because in the next moment the roar of the tamer district rolled over her like a wave.

She bolted.

"M-Mirai!?" Came the distant cry but she ignored it because she had to run. _Run run run_ and never turn back. Mirai ran for what felt like miles before she stopped, falling to her knees and gasping for air.

The world around her was blurred and clouded and she _couldn't breath_ \--

"Mirai!" Claws dug into the back of her shoulders and she gasped. Her hands snapped back to pulled whatever had hurt her away--Nox was in her arms.

Her hands were shaking. "Nox?" Her throat hurt.

Nox clung to her arm. "Y-you were scaring me. W-why did you run like that? Are you okay...?" His eyes were wide as she stared down at him.

"I saw someone."

"Who?" Nox's grip grew tighter.

She glanced over her shoulder, as if expecting him to appear.

"The guild leader of the Guild of Courage."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to do a proper description of the guild leader but lmao when I got there Mirai had started jogging and it didn't feel right to write the description of `im down. Ah, well.  
> I've never had a panic attack (well, maybe once or twice?? but it usually takes really tight spaces and lots of people for me....) so I don't know how accurate my description is. I didn't want to go too much into it either so I didn't accidentally trigger anyone.  
> PS Reason why Nox can 'cut' through Mirai's panic attack is because he's her partner. Her anchor. He's prolly the only one who can.


	4. Running Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta`d.  
> I'm not happy with this chapter?? The pacing feels off and some of the character interactions don't feel right. But nothing I do seems to fix that.

Mirai spent the next couple of days trying to memorize the city and avoid any one who might be dangerous.

Which the guild leader _was_. It was one thing, from her point of view, for the Digimon to not be NPCs. They'd always come off as not being scripted, even if she had explained it away due to it being a 'game' so of course they were scripted. Even if they actually weren't.

The guild leader was human, however. He should've been just a NPC. Humans weren't native to the Digital World, according to some of the digimon she had been doing favors for.

One such digimon was a veedramon who ran the Inn she was staying in. The veedramon was very kind if gruff. She wondered what his story was. After all, he was missing a horn. Maybe he lost it in a fight when he left his tribe? Either way, it seemed like a sore spot she wasn't going to touch.

She was actually on such a favor for the innkeeper. He'd asked her to go and pick up some meat from one of the farms--imagine, a meat farm--and to talk to one of the providers about making the deliveries larger.

If they did do that, the innkeeper would have to start picking up the deliveries.

Mirai clicked her tongue. Nox helped with carrying them but he couldn't care much more than she could. Less, actually, due to the fact that he had such small arms.

Having Nox around was a blessing in other ways, however. She was hardly worried about what was happening around her when Nox was there distract her with his cheer and kindness. She wished she could be half as happy as Nox was.

He was also a great confidant. Even if he still didn't fully understand Mirai's situation, he was willing to listen to all of Mirai's nervous breakdowns. Nox even gave her advice about whatever she was having a breakdown about. It was better than any other person she's ever confided in.

Jogging through a park, her personal short cut to the closest dilvery meat farm, Mirai stopped when she saw what seemed to be an arguement. Two tamers, both wearing an ensemble of orange and red, were jabbing their fingers at each other in the almost robotic game gestures. Their partners were exchanging pained grimaces.

For a moment, Mirai thought she should step in. Nox shifted from inside the backpack, ready to get out and help her do so. She shook her head, stopping herself from doing such an insane thing. She'd only get herself and Nox into trouble.

Mirai took a few steps away even as the tamers turned their voice chats one and started yelling. God, she really wished she couldn't hear the supposedly private voice chats. Sometimes she would hear the strangest things, things she didn't want to hear at all.

Shaking her head again, Mirai ducked into an alley way out of the Tamer district. She could almost smell the meat already. "Nox," She said, "Is there anyone near by that isn't a digimon?"

Her partner had a good nose, she knew. If anyone would could smell out the guild leader it was him.

"Nobody except the usual out here!" Nox chirped as he slipped out of the backpack. He tilted his head to look up at her. "Why didn't you stop those two tamer from fighting?"

Of course he'd ask her that. Mirai hesitated, one hand clenched on a strap. How could she explain to him that it'd just get them into trouble? Never mind the fact that she seemed to be having difficulties communicating tamers. It used to be easy but now it was like trying to communicate with someone on the other side of a glass wall.

She wondered if that was how the digimon always felt when they talked to tamers.

Mirai decided to keep silent. She didn't think she'd be able to explain that to Nox. At least, not in a way that Nox would be able to understand. Mirai wasn't good at explaining things.

Then again, she wasn't good with a lot of things.

Nox wilted when it became very clear she wasn't going to answer. "Okay. I'm sorry, Mirai."

She automatically shook her head. Kneeling down next to Nox, she took his hand. "You didn't do anything wrong, Nox," Mirai said. She let go of his hand after squeezing it and stood up. "Let's get to the farm, okay?"

Her partner nodded. Nox seemed sullen and Mirai swallowed as she turned toward the path they usually took to the farm. At least she wouldn't have to worry about anyone over hearing them.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Mirai stared steadily ahead as they moved towards the meat farm. The scent of the meat seemed to permeate the air. It always did and it would probably stay long after the farm became unoperable. That wouldn't be any time soon.

The streets of this district were always thick with digimon either working at the farms or taking the deliveries from the farms to the marketplaces or other Inns. Mirai got some looks but over the past couple of days she'd become somewhat well known among the digimon community.

That made her somewhat nervous: Did that mean the guild leader knew about her? If that was true, then she'd be in trouble. Especially if he was somehow connected to the company that ran the game.

If they knew she was here, for real, would they do something to her?

She was scared of that more than anything else.

Mirai stopped and picked Nox up, ignoring his startled squeak. She could feel a breakdown coming and Nox was her best bet to anchor herself so she didn't get lost in the waves of nervous fear. Her partner seemed to sense what was wrong and went still.

And so she walked the rest of the way with Nox held firmly in her arms.

* * *

She'd somewhat calmed down by the time she'd reached the meat farm. A floramon was bustling back and forth, from one row of meat to another. They were carrying a watering can. If she hadn't seen them watering the meat before now Mirai would question their sanity.

Of course, she'd actually somewhat gotten used to the strange logic in the Digital World. At least the laws of physics were the same here as they were back home.

Mirai sighed to herself, her throat tight. Why did she let her trains of thought lead her back to that? It's not like she could snap her fingers and return home. If she could she'd just pick up Nox and take him with her.

The floramon who had been tottering from one row of meat to the another appeared at her elbow. "Hello, miss. It's nice to see you again. Are you here for mister Morion's delivery?"

She started. Why did digimon have to be so sneaky? Well, digimon besides her partner. "Ah, yes I am. Do...do you have everything together already?" The floramon nodded. Exhaling, Mirai put Nox down and asked him to help her gather everything. He still seemed a little upset about her ignoring his question from earlier but agreed.

Nox moved ahead of Mirai as the trio moved to where the deliveries were stored. She gathered the bags in her arms while Nox picked up a crate.

The floramon tsked. "I really wish mister Morion would be a little more careful about how much meat he sells to the patrons. Honestly, I swear that digimon go there simply because he just lets them buy and buy and buy without end..." The floramon continued to grumble under their breath.

Mirai smiled a little over her bags, bemused. The floramon always complained about Morion specifically. If she didn't know better, she'd think the floramon was interested in Morion.

Biding the floramon a farewell the trio returned to being a duo and left the farm behind. Mirai wanted to talk to Nox, to apologize, but the lunamon was starkly quiet. Besides, she felt this was something they needed to talk about in private.

They ducked and weaved through the walkways and paths. Eventually they made it back to the Tamer district. This had always been the hardest part of this delivery. Last time she did this she'd had a few people babbling at her about weird actions and 'how did she do that?'.

It made her nervous.

But she had to keep going. So Mirai swallowed and kept moving forward. Oddly, she was sure that Nox had become happier right out of the blue. Why?

She frowned to herself as she dodged through the crowds. A few people stopped and looked at her but to her surprise not many were. Did she look like she was a NPC or something like that?

Mirai kicked the backdoor of the Inn once they arrived. The veedramon innkeeper, Morion, opened it within minutes. He smirked down at her. "I guess you managed to get it again. Good job little one. You've earned yourself another week. You'll have a month in reserve at this rate."

Ah, yes, the reason she did favors for Morion. All so she could stay in the Inn indefintely without paying. Though she really wondered where his accent was from. Brazil? Or maybe Portugal? Something like that.

"Thank you," Mirai said, "Is there anything else you need?"

He shook his head as he took the bags from her arms. "No, kid. You can go off and do whatever you tamers do."

Mirai looked down at Nox who was putting the crate of meat down by the kitchen's door. She needed to talk to him right now. Before she could ask him to talk to him in their room, Nox crawled up her leg and into the backpack.

She spun once, trying to get his attention. Morion grabbed her shoulder to steady her as she stumbled on her second spin. "Nox...!"

"Kid, you two need to get out and about," Morion said, lightly pushing her back towards the backdoor.  


Licking her lips, Mirai looked at Morion before nodding. She shifted the backpack so it was more comfortable for Nox. Out the door they went, Mirai's steps echoing as they went up the alleyway and out into the crowds.

To the marketplace, she decided. It was a place of loud peace, as odd as that sounded.

She found a place to sit and waited. Waited for Nox to wiggle his way out of the backpack. But he never did. Instead, he seemed content to fall asleep in the pack.

That made her unhappy. Why wouldn't he talk to her? Had she really upset him that much?

"Miss? Miss, can you hear me?"

Mirai started. Judging by the quiet squawk from her pack, Nox was knocked awake. "W-what?" She glanced down and around, searching for the speaker.

It was an agumon, standing right in front of her. She blinked at it, confused. Why was there an agumon talking to her?

"Do you work for Morion?" She asked them. "Does he have something for us to do?" Nox slipped out of the pack and onto the bench next to her.

The agumon tilted their head. They seemed confused by her question and for some reason Mirai felt a rush of dread. If he wasn't here for Morion then why was he here?

Even if he wasn't here for Morion, the past couple of digimon she'd done favors for knew who Morion was. This agumon _didn't._

"Who are you?" Mirai demanded, her voice strangled. Nox tensed next to her.

A single pair of footsteps echoed in her ears, over the din of the tamers around her. Her shoulders and hackles rose. Oh no, this was not good.

"Taichi!" The agumon cried, looking delighted.

Mirai stood and spun to look up at the new comer. It was exactly who she feared it was.

The guild leader of the Guild of Courage, named 'Tai Kamiya' by the game, stood there. His face was shrouded by the hood he wore but there was no mistaking him.

Not for her.

"I hate everything." She informed him. All he did in reply was raise an eyebrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter explains some of Mirai's fears. And the fact that she has very low self confidence. Don't worry, she won't be so down on herself forever.


	5. How Time Flies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta`d.  
> Dialogue heavy in the latter half of the chapter due to proper introduction and some exposition.

She felt like an inmate walking to their execution. The guild leader, Tai, was walking ahead of her and her partner but his partner, the agumon, was walking right behind her. It was obvious to her what his purpose here was.

If it wasn't for Nox's spindly fingers, Mirai would be panicking. This had been exactly what she had been trying to avoid the past few days since she first saw him. Yet she had managed to walk right into him without a thought. How clumsy.

Mirai clenched her hands on her shorts, biting hard on her lip. Some blood welled up from where she was biting and dripped down her chin. Tai glanced back in the next moment.

"What are you doing?" Tai asked, aghast. He reached forward and wiped away the blood. She cringed at the some moment and jerked back. Tai's hand froze at the movement and he pulled back, murmuring an apology.

That was...unexpected. Mirai would've thought he'd say to hell with her personal boundaries and kept wiping at the blood. Then again, she hadn't expected him to try and wipe the blood away in the first place.

Was he trying to trick her? Lull her into a false sense of security?

Ha! Like she'd let that happen! She'd rather die than let them trick or...or use her somehow. Oh, god, what if they tried to do something her? Would they try and use her to make a permanent portal between this world and the world she came from, like in a sci fi show?

The thought made her swallow all the air in her lungs. Nox's fingers dug into her shoulders and she forced herself to breath.

Tai was watching her.

Mirai swallowed thickly before she started walking again. Tai and the agumon followed suit. They walked in silence after that until a looming shadow appeared before them. Mirai stumbled a bit, confused and startled, before she looked up and saw the guild building.

It was even bigger in person than it was through the game's VR goggles. She stared up at the windows that gleamed and behind some of them she could see digimon. So digimon worked in the guild building, huh?

The colors of the building were vibrant oranges, yellows, and reds. They blended together to make a design that would, any other way, would've burned someone's eyes. Her gazed flickered over the geometric shapes and designs before tilting her head down to look at the entrance.

She started, surprised at how close it was. Had they really walked that far in such short a time. Mirai waited for Tai however instead of leading her through the main entrance he led them towards the side of the building: An area she knew tamers couldn't get to normally. She'd read enough complaining posts about it on the forums to know that.

Mirai followed silently after the agumon bumped into the back of her legs. She shuddered as she reached the side door Tai had opened. While it still carried traces of the colors the rest of the building boasted, it was much more muted.

Tai didn't make a sound as he gestured for her to follow him inside. Clenching her hands and knowing she had no other choice, she followed him.

The interior of the hallway was not what she was expecting when the lights came on. It looked like the front hallway of a house from back in the real world, which was startlingly. As much as the buildings here had similar architecture to human buildings, the interiors were usually designed specifically for the type of digimon living there. That was exactly helpful for poor little humans like herself.

Nox seemed more interested in the fact that it didn't look like a digimon's home as opposed to how Mirai was interested in how it looked like a home from the real world. He pulled one paw from her neck to poke at the walls, his expression curious. When he realized the walls were made of the same material as any building, he pulled his hand back, his interest lost.

She swallowed as she stopped just inside what seemed to be the living room. The agumon slipped past her to flop belly first onto one of the couches gathered around the TV. It wasn't a flat screen, to her surprise, but one of those old bulky TVs from the early 2000s.

"What is this?" Mirai said, the question slipping out before she could stop herself.

Tai seemed surprised by the question. It was because she'd been entirely silent since he'd shepherded her away from the marketplace and to the Guild building. 

"This is our home." Tai gestured at his partner and then glanced at the door that seemed out of place in the room. It was somewhat intimidating and a vibrant orange. The guild's symbol, a sun, was etched onto it's surface.

Mirai looked at the agumon. His and Tai's home? She supposed that made sense but...this place seemed far too big for just two people. Especially one that is a small yellow dinosaur.

Before she could ask why exactly she had been brought her, Tai took a seat at the couch. He glanced up at her and said, "We should talk. Please sit down." His voice was serious and Mirai started at the sound of it. He hadn't spoken until now.

She stared down at him before she took a seat at one of the seats around the table. Mirai didn't trust him enough to get too close. "What do you want from us?" She asked as Nox dropped to the floor at her feet, his expression grim.

Tai turned in his spot on the couch to look at her. "I need to know: How did you get here?" His voice was surprisingly intense and Mirai felt a shiver run down her spine. "It should be impossible. All access from the outside and inside was cut off years ago."

What? Mirai's heard jerked back, shocked. Access? Did that mean this world used to be one people could come and go to freely? But that didn't make sense! She was sure she'd have heard something about this if it was true.

"I don't know," She said, her voice flat. "I just woke up here."

Nox frowned from his place at Mirai's feet. "I don't understand either. What do you mean by Mirai coming here?"

The guild leader looked down at the lunamon and sighed. "So you don't know either? But why...You weren't trying to find out anything about the Digital World, were you?"

Mirai gave him a bewildered look. "Up until a week ago, I thought the Digital World was a video game for people to play and have fun. Not as actual other world. So no, I wasn't 'trying to find out anything abou the Digital World'." What did that even mean, anyway?

Tai looked ready to continue his demand for information when the orange sun door zipped open with a swoosh. Mirai jolted as another man appeared, one arm raised. "Taichi!," He said, "Did you find that human girl all the digimon have been talking about?--Oh."

She stared at the unfamiliar red head. Who in the world was this? There was a veemon peering at her from around the man's legs in interest. So he had a partner too?

And why was everyone calling Tai 'Taichi'?

"Yes, I found her, Daisuke." Tai glanced at her. "But it seems we're no closer to finding a way out. She has no idea how she got here."

The other man spluttered before throwing his hands into the air. "Seriously?! No way! I thought for sure we had a way out..."

Tai narrowed his eyes at Daisuke while Mirai shifted nervously in her seat. "Daisuke, you didn't tell anyone else about this, did you?" 'Daisuke' started shaking his head in denial. Tai pinched the bridge of his nose. "Good. I don't want them on my case again."

Mirai glanced back and forth, feeling perplexed. No one was even talking to her anymore, she realized. She'd been cut out of the conversation without a thought. That was irritating. Nox seemed to share her feelings as he shifted around by her feet.

"What's going on?" Nox blurted, startling Mirai. "You bring me and Mirai here and then don't even tell us why? Why did you need us? I don't understand!"

Huh. She hadn't realized that Nox shared her sentiments so strongly. 

'Daisuke' looked at Tai. "You haven't told either of them anything, Taichi?" He looked exasperated.

Tai grimaced and Mirai crossed her arms. "No, he hasn't. I know absolutely nothing about what's going on right now, why I'm here, or why he brought me here."

The red haired man groaned as he rubbed his temples. He looked stressed out in a way that only someone with years of worrying about others would show.

"Daisuke..." Tai said, frowning.

'Daisuke' waved him off. "Alright. I guess we should start with introductions! I'm Daisuke Motomiya. This is Taichi Yagami. You can just call me Daisuke--Or Senpai!"

What.

She stopped.

Okay, wait what? She understood the introduction but why in the world was he telling her to call him 'senpai'?

Mirai leaned back, a grimace on her face. Nox mimicked her at her feet and the two of them stared at Daisuke. Daisuke's bright smile faded and he seemed to wilt.

Tai--Taichi sighed. "It doesn't seem like she wants to call you senpai, Daisuke." There was a teasing lilt to the way he said it that made Mirai glare at him in turn before catching herself. She was acting far too light hearted for her current situation.

"Ah, fine, whatever!" Daisuke jabbed a finger at her as she studied him. He had to be in his early twenties--so why was he acting like he was younger than her? What an odd man. Daisuke continued with what he was saying and she forced herself to pay attention. "We kind of need you to tell us how you got here? It's pretty important because as far as we knew there's no way in or out of the Digital World anymore."

She glanced at Taichi, who sighed and nodded in agreement. He looked tired admitting this but Mirai figured he had a right to be--considering the whole stuck here thing. Except...didn't that mean she was stuck here too?

"You don't have a way out?" She asked, her throat tight. "Then...that means I have no way out either..."

Taichi frowned. "Did someone tell you we'd have a way out?" He seemed concerned and suspicious. The latter was worrying because as far as Mirai was aware she had done nothing to be cause for suspicion. Except, she thinks to herself, appearing in this world with no warning.

Mirai said, "No. I just...I just woke up here after logging out and going to bed. I-I woke up in a strange hospital like place and I sort of...ran away. Is there really no way out?"

Daisuke interrupted Taichi before he could speak. Good, she didn't want to be interrogated. "So you have no idea how you got here? That's...really bad. No one should be able to get through the government's firewall..."

_Firewall?_

She stood up. Mirai expected Nox to follow her but instead he leapt onto the table to look at Daisuke and Taichi. "You guys haven't said what you want with us yet! Mirai told you she...doesn't know how she got here." There was a hint of confusion in his voice, as usual when referring to the subject of her arrival in the Digital World. "But you haven't said why that's important yet!"

The younger of the two men sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair as Taichi leaned back with a groan. "That's `cause no one is supposed to be able to get through!" The veemon at Daisuke's side suddenly blurted, a slight lisp to it's voice. "Daisuke and Taichi and everyone have been here forever, because of those government guys!"

A thought about sci fi movies and the government always being the bad guys flitted through her head before she crossed her arms. "What do you mean by forever?"

The quartet of digimon and humans in front of her exchanged looks before, to her surprise, the agumon spoke up. "Taichi and Daisuke have been here since...2019, right? That's what year it was right?" Taichi praised the agumon for remembering and the agumon preened in delight.

Mirai on the other hand was doing a double take. That can't be...This two men surely can't have been here since then right?

"Are you absolutely sure that was the year?" Mirai demanded.

Taichi was frowning again before he reconfirmed that yes that had been the year. Mirai stared off into space, her throat tighter than ever. This was...way worse than her earlier imagination. To think that being here means you don't age...To some that would be a blessing. But if your family and friends are beyond your reach, somewhere where you can't see them again...It's a curse.

Daisuke took a step forward, his hands raised in placating gesture when Mirai stiffened. "Why is the year so important to you?"

She took a deep breath. It was now or never, she supposed. Mirai looked up into Daisuke's eyes.

"Because the year is 2041. It's...been over twenty years since 2019." Longer than she had even been _alive_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will add Taichi and Daisuke to the character list.  
> In other news, I'm going to be taking a short break from this story to focus on a short 6-7 chapters story I've got planned. After that I'll return to this and Veneficus Verum.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've written an OC Centric story so I'm sorry if the characters aren't all that interesting. :' )  
> Once more of Tri has come out (like, at least half of the whole thing xD) than I'll consider if Tri will be able to fit into this AU I've crafted.


End file.
